Check Six – 1969: National Guard technician program turns 50
Posted on Feb 3, 2019 in 1960's, Check SixFrom the Air National Guard website
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the National Guard’s technician program, which provides for a full-time element to maintain readiness in units throughout the Guard.
“The program is important to the National Guard because of readiness, which in our business, can easily mean life or death for those in the community,” said Army Maj. Benjamin Andrasik, a human resources specialist with the National Guard Bureau’s Technician Personnel Division. “It really ties military life to civilian life, which is what the National Guard is all about at the end of the day.”
A result of the National Guard Technician Act of 1968, the program went into effect January 1, 1969, and created dual-status technicians – federal, civilian employees required to maintain a military membership with a Guard unit as part of their employment. Though they fill a civilian-status role, technicians are required to wear a military uniform and adhere to military customs and courtesies.
This important change was a part of the Guard’s transition from “Weekend Warriors” to the Total Force.
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